Electronic document notarization

ABSTRACT

A server receives a package of data including: a document designated for notarization, identification information including a photograph, photograph of a user, and a signature of the user. The server compares the photograph of the user to the photograph included with the identification information. Next, the server verifies an identity of the user based on the identification information and the photograph by comparing the photograph of the signer to the photograph included with the identification information. The server then applies the signature and an indication of notarization to the document designated for notarization to create a notarized version of the document. The server stores the notarized version of the document, the photograph, and the identification document in a secure data package, and provides the notarized version of the document to the user.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/846,688, which was filed on Jul. 16,2013. The contents of U.S. Application No. 61/846,688 are incorporatedby reference in its entirety as part of this application.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This specification generally relates to electronic documentnotarization.

BACKGROUND

A person may wish to have a document notarized while traveling or afternormal business hours. If the person is traveling, they may only have anelectronic copy of the document on a computer or mobile device withoutaccess to a printer. This can be a stressful and possibly costlysituation when the document must be signed and notarized to, forinstance, meet a last minute deadline.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the subject matter described in this specification mayinclude a server receiving a package of data including: a documentdesignated for notarization, identification information including aphotograph, photograph of a user, and a signature of the user. Theserver compares the photograph of the user to the photograph includedwith the identification information. Next, the server verifies anidentity of the user based on the identification information and thephotograph by comparing the photograph of the signer to the photographincluded with the identification information. The server then appliesthe signature and an indication of notarization to the documentdesignated for notarization to create a notarized version of thedocument. The server stores the notarized version of the document, thephotograph, and the identification document in a secure data package,and provides the notarized version of the document to the user.

Implementations can include one or more of the following features. Forexample, the package of data may include location data. The package ofdata may include a video. The package of data may be encrypted. Thepackage of data may include a digital postmark.

The server may access ID validation information from a database, anddetermine that the identification information is valid. The database maybe a government issued ID database. The database may be a socialnetworking platform.

The indication of notarization may include an indication of a level ofcertification. The server may provide the notarized version of thedocument to at least one third-party.

In another aspect of the subject matter described in this specificationa computing device receives a document designated for notarization andidentification information including a photograph. The computing deviceactivates a camera on the computing device, and prompts a user of thecomputing device to center an image displayed on the computing devicefrom the camera on the user and to sign on a touch input of thecomputing device. The computing device captures a photograph of the userand a signature of the user. The computing device then sends thedocument designated for notarization, the identification information,the photograph of the user, and the signature of the user to a serverfor notarization.

Implementations can include one or more of the following features. Forexample, the identification information may be a photograph of a photoidentification document. The computing device may record a video of theuser. The computing device may request a word from the server, and whenprompting the user of the computing device to center an image displayedon the computing device from the camera on the user and to sign on atouch input of the computing device, the computing device may alsoprompt the user to write the word on the touch input of the computingdevice.

The computing device may present at least one document notarizationoption, receive a selection of an option, and send data indicating theselected option to the server. One of the at least one options may be anoption to choose a level of service. The details of one or moreimplementation of the subject matter described in this specification areset forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Otherpotential features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter willbecome apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1D illustrate exemplary user interfaces for an electronicnotarization application on a mobile device.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example system that employs an exemplaryelectronic notarization process.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary user interface for a third-partyrecipient of electronically notarized documents.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a process for receiving data by a notarizationapplication.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a process for electronically notarizing adocument.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Techniques are provided for electronic notarization of a document usinga mobile device. For example, implementations of an electronicnotarization application may allow a user to get an important documentnotarized at any time of the day and from any location in certaincircumstances. In addition, the electronically notarized documents maybe archived in computer databases allowing for quick retrieval in theevent that a user's copy is lost or destroyed. Notarized documents maybe transmitted and archived with a digital postmark for nonrepudiation.

The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth inthe accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features,objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thedescription and drawings, and from the claims.

The mobile device is configured to exchange electronic communicationswith other computing devices through a network, to take photographs, andto receive touch input. The mobile device receives a user input tolaunch a notarization application. The notarization applicationgenerates a user interface allowing the user to designate a document fornotarization and choose from several options related to notarizing thedocument. The mobile device receives a document designated fornotarization. Next, the application may prompt the user for anidentification document (e.g., a photo identification such as a driver'slicense). The application then may allow the user to take a photographof the user's identification document with the mobile device. Next, theapplication may request a photograph of the user and the user'ssignature. The application may activate a camera on the mobile deviceand prompt the user to center themself in an image generated on themobile device by the camera and to sign on the touch input of the mobiledevice. The mobile device may capture a photograph of the user and theuser's signature. The notarization application may then send thedesignated document, the user's identification document, the user'sphotograph, and the user's signature to a notary server.

A notary server may include one or more computing devices connected to acomputer network such as a group of servers in a datacenter connected tothe internet. The notary server may receive the designated document, theuser's identification document, the user's photograph, and the user'ssignature from the mobile device. The notary server may then compare theuser's photograph to a photograph on the identification document toverify the identity of the user in the photograph. The comparison may beperformed using image and/or facial recognition software on the notaryserver, for example. If the notary server successfully verifies theidentity of the user in the photograph, the notary server then may applythe user's signature and an indication of notarization to the designateddocument. The now notarized document may be archived in a notarydatabase along with the photograph and the identification document in asecure data package, for example, by encrypting the data package,storing the data package with a trusted time stamp (e.g., a digitalpostmark), and/or storing the data package with a digital signature. Thenotary server then returns the notarized document to the user. Thenotary server may send an electronic copy of the document to the user'smobile device, for example, through the notary application and/or viae-mail. Alternatively or in addition, the notary server may transmit thenotarized document to a document delivery service for delivery of aphysical copy of the notarized document to the user.

In some implementations, the notary application may offer the userseveral levels of notarization services. Higher levels of service mayprovide higher levels of document certification. For instance, a premiumlevel of service may verify the validity of the identification documentby comparing the identification document with data in a governmentdatabase (e.g., a state Department of Motor Vehicles database) andrequiring a person (e.g., a notary public working at a datacenter) tocompare the photograph of the user with the identification document on adisplay connected to the notary server. Conversely, a basic level ofservice may not compare the identification document with the photographof the user and may simply store the documents for retrieval at a laterdate in the event that validity of the document is contested, forexample. Furthermore, the indication of notarization may include dataindicating the certification level of the document.

FIGS. 1A-1D illustrate exemplary user interfaces for an electronicnotarization application on a mobile device 102. Mobile device 102includes a camera 104 and a touch input 106. Mobile device 104 isconfigured to capture photographs using camera 104 and, in someimplementations, may be configured to capture video. Touch input 106 maybe a touch screen (as illustrated), a touch pad, or a digital pen, forexample. In addition, mobile device 102 is configured to exchangeelectronic communications with other computing devices through a network(e.g., a cellular network, a WAN, etc). The mobile device 102 may be anymobile device configured to exchange electronic communications over anetwork. For example, the mobile device 102 may be a wireless phone, acellular phone, a mobile personal digital assistant (PDA) with embeddedcellular phone technology, a smart phone, a tablet computer, or a laptopcomputer.

The user interface 100 in FIG. 1A may be presented to a user who needsto electronically notarize a document. The user interface 100 may begenerated by a mobile device or a service provider providing service tothe mobile device. Additionally, user interface 100 may allow the userto select several options for notarizing a document.

The user interface 100 includes a document selection portion 108 and mayinclude a delivery method selection portion 114 and/or a notary servicelevel selection portion 116. The document selection portion 108 of theuser interface 100 allows a user to designate a document fornotarization. The document may be stored on the mobile device orattached to an e-mail received by the mobile device. Alternatively or inaddition, the documents may be stored by a cloud storage provider (e.g.,DropBox, Mozy, Carbonite, etc.), or on another computing device (e.g.,the user's desktop computer) and accessible by the mobile device througha computer network. The document selection portion 108 may include adropdown menu 110, for example, to access documents contained in adesignated location (e.g., a folder in cloud storage). The documentselection portion 108 also may include a “browse” button 112 to allowthe user to navigate to the document. In some implementations, the userinterface 100 may provide an option of photographing the documentdesignated for notarization using camera 104 on mobile device 102.

The user interface 100 also may include a delivery method selectionportion 114. The delivery method selection portion may allow the user toselect a preferred delivery method for the document after it isnotarized. For example, the notarized document may be delivered to theuser electronically through the notarization application, e-mailed tothe user's e-mail account, or both. Alternatively or in addition, aphysical copy of the notarized document may be delivered via a documentdelivery service (e.g., UPS or FedEx). The delivery method selectionportion 114 also may allow the user to have the notarized documentdelivered to a third-party, for example, a bank, a law firm, or a trustcompany.

Upon receipt of a user selection to deliver the notarized document to athird-party, the notarization application may request informationrelated to the third-party, for example, a physical address or an e-mailaddress. In some implementations, delivery information for commonrecipients of notarized documents (e.g., banks) may be stored by thenotarization application and allow the user to choose the third-partyrecipient from a menu. In some implementations, the notarization programitself may be integrated into a particular third-party recipient's owncustomer account software, for example, a bank's online account accesswebsite or a mobile banking application. In such an implementation, theparticular third-party recipient may be a default recipient fornotarized documents.

The user interface 100 also may include a notary service level selectionportion 116. The notary service level selection portion 116 may allow auser to select from various service levels corresponding to differinglevels of certification, for example, the certification levels may rangefrom a basic level to a premium level and be priced accordingly.(Exemplary levels of service are described in more detail below inreference to FIG. 2.)

Once the user has designated a document for notarization and chosennotarization preferences the user interface 120 in FIG. 1B may bedisplayed to the user prompting the user for an identification document.The user interface 120 may include an ID selection portion 122, aphotograph alignment portion 124 or both, for example. The ID selectionportion 122 may allow a user to select a method of accessing anidentification document. For example, the user may photograph anidentification document using the mobile device 102, the user may have apreviously stored photograph of the identification document on themobile device, or the user may have an electronic identificationdocument (e.g., an eID or EIC). If the user selects to photograph anidentification document, the notarization application may activate thecamera 104 on the mobile device 102 (e.g., the mobile device 102 mayhave a second camera on the reverse side) and display an image from thecamera in the photograph alignment portion 124. Photograph alignmentportion 124 may include alignment marks 126 (e.g., a reticle) to aid inproper alignment of the identification document.

Once the user has selected an identification document, the notarizationapplication may activate the camera 104 on the mobile device 102 anddisplay user interface 140 in FIG. 1C. User interface 140 includes animage 142 of the user from the camera 104 and a prompt 144 for the userto sign on a touch input 106 of the mobile device 102. The prompt 144may be displayed in conjunction with the camera image 142 or prior toactivating the camera 104. Additionally, the prompt 144 may instruct theuser to center the camera image 142 on themselves and to provide aninput (e.g., tap the touch input 106 or press a button on the mobiledevice 102) to capture a photograph of the user. As the user signs onthe touch input 106 the user's signature 146 may be displayed over theuser's image 142 on the mobile device 102, for example. The notarizationapplication may then send the designated document, the user'sidentification document, the user's photograph, and the user's signatureto a notary server for verification and notarization.

In some implementations, the notarization application may request thatthe user record a video of the signing process. In such animplementation, the notarization application may activate the camera 104when it displays user interface 100 and record the user during theentire data input process described above. Because the image quality ina video is generally lower than that of a digital photograph, thenotarization may capture the user's photograph separate from the video.The video would then be sent to the notary server and retained alongwith the designated document, the user's identification document, theuser's photograph, and the user's signature.

In some implementations in which the user is requested to record avideo, the notarization application also may request data from thenotary server to verify contemporaneousness of the video recordedsignature and the photograph. For example, the server may generate arandom word 162 that the application can require a user to write alongwith their signature 146 as illustrated by user interface 160 in FIG.1D. In some implementations the word may not be random. Instead the wordmay be one of an extensive list of words from which the notary servercycles through on regular time intervals. An algorithm may be applied toassociate a particular word with a particular time or date.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example system 200 that employs an exemplaryelectronic notarization process. FIG. 2 also illustrates a flow of datawithin the system 200 during states (a) to (e). Briefly, mobile device202 sends a notarization data package 204 to notary server 206. Notaryserver 206 uses data from the notarization data package 204 to verify auser's identity and notarizes a document include in the notarizationdata package 204 by applying the verified user's signature and anindication of notarization to a document. The notarized document is thenreturned to the user and optionally sent to a third-party.

In more detail, the system 200 includes mobile device 202 which is incommunication with notary server 206 through network(s) 208. Network(s)208 may include a wireless cellular network, a wireless local areanetwork (WLAN) or Wi-Fi network, a Third Generation (3G) or FourthGeneration (4G) mobile telecommunications network, a private networksuch as an intranet, a public network such as the internet, or anyappropriate combination thereof. The states (a) through (e) depict aflow of data that occurs when an example process is performed by thesystem 100. The states (a) to (e) may be time-sequenced states, or theymay occur in a sequence that is different than the illustrated sequence.Furthermore, all states (a) through (e) may not be performed in someimplementations.

During state (a), user 210 accesses a notarization application on mobiledevice 202. The notarization application on the mobile device 202 allowsthe user 210 to designate a document to be notarized 212, choose orphotograph an identification document 214, take a photograph 216 of theuser 210, and provide a signature. The notarization application mayoverlay the user's 210 signature onto the photograph 216. (Theindividual steps of state (a) are described in more detail above inrelation to FIGS. 1A-1D.)

Then, during state (b), the notarization application sends the documentdesignated for notarization 212, the identification document 214, andthe photograph 216 of the user 210 in a notarization data package 204 tothe notary server 206. In some implementations, the notarizationapplication includes location data 218 (e.g., global positioning data)in the notarization data package 204. The location data 218 may indicatea geographic location of the mobile device 202 at a time when the usersigned on the touch input of the mobile device 202, for example. In someimplementations, the notarization data package 204 may be a secure datapackage, for example, by encrypting the data package, including atrusted time stamp (e.g., a digital postmark), and/or including adigital signature.

The notary server 206 receives the notarization data package 204. Duringstate (c), the notary server 206 validates the identification document214 submitted by user 210. The notary server 206 may access a database220 to obtain data to validate the identification document 214. Database220 may be, for example, a government database containing informationrelated to government identification cards (e.g., a state Department ofMotor Vehicles database). The notary server 206 may access data such asthe user's 210 driver's license number, the user's 210 address, theuser's 210 driver's license photograph, and/or an image of the user'sdriver's license, for example. The notary server 206 then may comparethe accessed data to the identification document 214 to validate theauthenticity of the identification document 214. Database 220 maycontain information about other government issued identificationdocuments, for example, a passport or any other federal or state issuedidentification documents.

In some implementations, the notary server 206 may access informationabout user 210 data from a social network server or database 222 duringstate (c). For example, the notary server 206 may access informationfrom a user profile associated with user 210 in a social networkingplatform such as Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter, for example. Notaryserver 206 may then user the user profile information (e.g., an address,birthdate, or photograph) to verify information on the identificationdocument 214 and validate the identification document 214. For example,if a birthdate obtained from the user's 210 profile within a socialnetworking platform matches a birthdate on the identification document214 then the identification document 214 is less likely to be a falseID. Alternatively or in addition, the notary server 206 may comparelocation information 218 to an address on the identification document214 and hometown information obtained from the social networkingplatform to provide an indication of the validity of the identificationdocument 214. For instance, if the location information 218, an addressfrom the identification document 214, and hometown information or othersimilar information obtained from the social networking platform each(or two out of the three) identify locations which are significantdistances apart there may be a greater likelihood that theidentification document 214 is false.

During stage (d), the notary server 206 may compare a photograph on theidentification document 214 with the photograph 216 of the user 210 toverify the user's 210 identity. For example, the notary server 206 mayuse facial recognition software to distinguish and compare facialfeatures in each of the photographs. If the facial features of eachphotograph do not match within a predetermined range of similarity, thenotary server 206 may decline to notarize the document designated fornotarization 212 and send a notarization denial message to the mobiledevice 202. On the other hand, if the facial features in each of thephotographs do match within the predetermined range of similarity, thenotary server 206 may apply the user's signature and an indication ofnotarization to the document to be notarized 212, thereby notarizing thedocument. The indication of notarization may be an electronic seal orwatermark, for example. The indication of notarization may include athumbnail of the user's photograph 216, a date time stamp, and/or thelocation information 218 where the document was submitted fornotarization.

In some implementations, the notarized document 224 may be archived in anotary database along with the photograph and the identificationdocument in a secure data package, for example, by encrypting the datapackage, storing with a trusted time stamp (e.g., a digital postmark),and/or storing with a digital signature. In some implementations, theuser 210 may record a video (as described above) showing the user 210presenting the identification document 214 and signing on the mobiledevice 202. In such implementations the video also may be included inthe archived secure data package.

In some implementations, the identification document 214 and userphotograph 216 may be displayed on a display connected to the notaryserver and the user's 210 identity may be verified by a person. Forexample, an employee at a datacenter in may compare the user photograph216 to the identification document 214 to verify the user's 210identity. In some implementations, the employee may be a notary public.

In some implementations, the notarization application on the mobiledevice 202 may request from the notary server 206 data to verify thecontemporaneousness of the user's signature with the user's photograph216 during stage (a). As described above, the notary server 206 mayrespond to the request by providing a particular word for the user 210to write in addition to the user's 210 signature. Therefore, the useridentity verification of state (d) may include using handwritingrecognition software to verify that the user 210 wrote the correct word.

Lastly, during stage (e), the notarized document 224 is sent to the user210 and may also be sent to one or more third parties, such as,computing device 226 at a bank 228. The notarized document may bedelivered to the user 210 and/or the third-party 228 electronicallyeither through the notarization application or via e-mail. In someimplementations, the notarized document 224 may sent electronically in asecure data package, for example, by encrypting the data package,including a trusted time stamp (e.g., a digital postmark), and/orincluding a digital signature. Alternatively or in addition, a physicalcopy of the notarized document 224 may be delivered to the user 210and/or to one or more third parties 228 via a document delivery service.

In some implementations, if the notarized document 224 is sent to athird-party 228 a copy of the identification document 214 also may besent to the third-party 228. In the case where the user 210 recorded avideo, the video also may be provided to the third-party 228. Theidentification document 214 and/or the video may be sent to thethird-party 228 by default or upon request by the third-party 228, forexample.

As described above in reference to FIGS. 1A-1D, the notarizationapplication may offer the user several levels of notarization servicescorresponding to levels of certification and priced accordingly. Severalexemplary levels of certification are described ranging from a basiclevel to a premium level. The level of certification may be indicated,for example, by a code in the notarization indication on notarizeddocuments. For the purposes of the discussion below, user submittednotarization data includes a photograph of the user (including theuser's signature), an identification document, a notarized version ofthe document designated to be notarized, optionally location informationof the mobile device when the document was submitted for notarization,and optionally a video recorded by the user of the user's submission ofthe notarization data.

A first, basic, exemplary level of certification may provide minimalassurance that a notarized document was in fact signed by a particularuser, but may provide access to all of the notarization data in theevent that validity of the notarized document is contested of thedocument is lost or destroyed. For example, the first exemplary level ofcertification may include only archiving the user submitted notarizationdata. Thus, the notary server would not verify the identity of the userprior to notarizing the document designated for notarization for thefirst level of certification.

A second exemplary level of certification may provide some assurancethat a notarized document was in fact signed by a particular user andaccess to all of the notarization data in the event that the validity ofthe notarized document is contested or the document is lost ordestroyed. For example, the second exemplary level of certification mayinclude verifying the identity of the user by comparing the user'sphotograph and the identification document facial recognition softwareon the notary server in addition to archiving the submitted notarizationdata.

A third exemplary level of certification may provide additionalassurance that a notarized document was in fact signed by a particularuser and access to all of the notarization data in the event that thevalidity of the notarized document is contested of the document is lostor destroyed. For example, the third exemplary level of certificationmay include verifying both the validity of the identification documentby accessing data from either a government database or a socialnetworking platform and the identity of the user by comparing the user'sphotograph and the identification document facial recognition softwareon the notary server in addition to archiving the submitted notarizationdata.

A fourth, premium, exemplary level of certification may provideheightened assurance that a notarized document was in fact signed by aparticular user and access to all of the notarization data in the eventthat the validity of the notarized document is contested of the documentis lost or destroyed. For example, the fourth exemplary level ofcertification may include verifying the validity of the identificationdocument by accessing data from either a government database or a socialnetworking platform and verifying the identity of the user by comparingthe user's photograph and the identification document facial recognitionsoftware both on the notary server and by an employee at a data center(e.g., a notary public) in addition to archiving the submittednotarization data.

Additional levels of certification may be conceived by inclusion ofvarious combinations of elements of the electronic notarization processdescribed herein.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary user interface 300 for a third-partyrecipient of electronically notarized documents. The user interface 300may include a document viewing pane 302 for viewing an electronicallynotarized document 304. The electronically notarized document 304 mayinclude a signature 306, a signed photograph 308 from the electronicnotarization process, and an indication of notarization 310. Inaddition, the user interface 300 may include user selectable buttons toeither accept 312 or refuse 314 the notarized document 304. Uponselection of either button 312 or 314 a message may be sent to a userwho submitted the notarized document 304 indicating whether thethird-party has accepted or refused the notarized document 304.Additional selectable buttons may be included to request from the notaryserver a copy of the submitted identification document 316, a copy of avideo of a user performing the electronic document notarizationsubmission 318, and/or a copy of the user submitted notarization data320.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a process 400 for receiving data by anotarization application. The process 400 may be performed by acomputing device, such as, for example, mobile device 102, 202 of FIGS.1A-1D and 2.

The computing device receives a document designated for notarization andidentification information including a photograph (410). Theidentification information may be, for example, an identificationdocument, such as a photo ID. Furthermore, document designated fornotarization may be received when a user selects the document from amenu provided on the computing device or when a user takes a photographof the document using a camera on the computing device, for example.Similarly, the identification information may be received when the userselects identification information from a menu provided on the computingdevice or when a user takes a photograph of the identification document.

The computing device activates a camera on the computing device (420)and prompts a user of the computing device to center an image displayedon the computing device from the camera on the user and to sign on atouch input of the computing device (430). In addition, the computingdevice may prompt the user to record a video of the user submitting thedocument, identification information, and signing on the touch input.Furthermore, to verify contemporaneousness of the video, the computingdevice may prompt the user to write a particular word received from aserver while recording the video and signing on the touch input.

The computing device captures a photograph of the user and a signatureof the user (440). The computing device may overlay the signature on thephotograph. Finally, the computing device sends the document designatedfor notarization, the identification information, the photograph of theuser, and the signature of the user to a server for notarization (450).In some implementations, the computing devices accesses location data(e.g., global position service data) indicating the location of themobile device when the notarization data is sent to the server. In someimplementations, the notarization data may be sent to the server in asecure data package, for example, by encrypting the data package,including a trusted time stamp (e.g., a digital postmark), and/orincluding a digital signature. In some implementations, a video may beincluded with the notarization data.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a process 500 for electronically notarizing adocument. The process 500 may be performed by a computing device, suchas, for example, notary server 206 of FIG. 2.

The server receives a package of notarization data (510) including: adocument designated for notarization, identification informationincluding a photograph, a photograph of a user, and a signature of theuser. The identification information may be, for example, an image of anidentification document, such as a photo ID. The signature of the usermay be overlaid on the photograph of the user. In some implementations,the package of data may be in a secure data package, for example, byencrypting the data package, including a trusted time stamp (e.g., adigital postmark), and/or including a digital signature. In someimplementations, a video may be included with the package of data. Insome implementations, location data may be included in the package ofdata.

The server compares the photograph of the user to the photographincluded with the identification information (520). The comparison maybe performed by the server using, for example, facial recognitionsoftware. In some implementations, the photograph of the user and theidentification information may be displayed to an employee (e.g., anotary public) in a data center on a display connected to the server.The employee may then perform the comparison and provide an input to theserver indicating whether the employee agrees that the personrepresented in the photograph of the user is the same person as thatrepresented in the identification information.

The server verifies an identity of the user based on the comparison ofthe photograph of the user to the photograph included with theidentification information (530). The server may determine, based on apredetermined threshold of similarity, whether results from thecomparison performed by the facial recognition software indicate thatthe identification information adequately identifies the user in thephotograph of the user. If it is determined that the results of thecomparison are inadequate, and thus, the user's identity is notverified, the server may refuse to notarize the document and send anappropriate message to the user's mobile device. Likewise, if theemployee indicates that the person represented in the photograph is notthe same as the person represented in the identification information,the server may refuse to notarize the document.

However, it is determined that the results of the comparison areadequate, and thus, the user's identity is verified, the server maynotarize the document and send an appropriate message to the user'smobile device. Likewise, if the employee indicates that the personrepresented in the photograph is the same as the person represented inthe identification information, the server may notarize the document.

Based on the results of the verification of the user's identity, theserver applies the signature and an indication of notarization to thedocument designated for notarization (540), thereby notarizing thedocument. The indication of notarization may include the location dataand/or a thumbnail version of the photograph of the user.

The server stores the notarized version of the document, the photograph,and the identification document in a secure data package (550). Thesecure data package may be archived in a notary database, for example,by encrypting the data package, storing with a trusted time stamp (e.g.,a digital postmark), and/or storing with a digital signature. In someimplementations, the user may record a video showing the user presentingthe identification document and signing a touch input of the computingdevice. In such implementations the video also may be included in anarchived secure data package.

The server provides the notarized version of the document to the user(560). The notarized version of the document may be provided to the userelectronically, through the notarization application and/or via e-mail,physically through a document delivery service, or by both means. Insome implementations, a copy of the notarized version of the documentalso may be provided to one or more third parties either electronically,physically, or both. When provided electronically, the notarized versionof the document may be transmitted in a secure data package for example,by encrypting the data package, storing with a trusted time stamp (e.g.,a digital postmark), and/or storing with a digital signature.

The techniques described herein can be implemented in digital electroniccircuitry, or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or incombinations of them. The techniques can be implemented as a computerprogram product, i.e., a computer program tangibly embodied in aninformation carrier, e.g., in a machine-readable storage device, inmachine-readable storage medium, in a computer-readable storage deviceor, in computer-readable storage medium for execution by, or to controlthe operation of, data processing apparatus, e.g., a programmableprocessor, a computer, or multiple computers. A computer program can bewritten in any form of programming language, including compiled orinterpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including asa stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or otherunit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program canbe deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers atone site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by acommunication network.

Method steps of the techniques can be performed by one or moreprogrammable processors executing a computer program to performfunctions of the techniques by operating on input data and generatingoutput. Method steps can also be performed by, and apparatus of thetechniques can be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g.,an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specificintegrated circuit).

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, byway of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, andany one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, aprocessor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory ora random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer area processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devicesfor storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will alsoinclude, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer datato, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, such as,magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks. Information carrierssuitable for embodying computer program instructions and data includeall forms of non-volatile memory, including by way of examplesemiconductor memory devices, such as, EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memorydevices; magnetic disks, such as, internal hard disks or removabledisks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. Theprocessor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated inspecial purpose logic circuitry.

A number of implementations of the techniques have been described.Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may bemade. For example, useful results still could be achieved if steps ofthe disclosed techniques were performed in a different order and/or ifcomponents in the disclosed systems were combined in a different mannerand/or replaced or supplemented by other components. It will beunderstood that various modifications may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope. For example, advantageous results still could beachieved if steps of the disclosed techniques were performed in adifferent order and/or if components in the disclosed systems werecombined in a different manner and/or replaced or supplemented by othercomponents. Other implementations are within the scope of thedescription.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer implemented method comprising:sending, by a server, a code-word to a computing device of a user inresponse to a request from the computing device to electronicallynotarize a document; receiving, at the server, data including: adocument designated for notarization, identification informationincluding a photograph, and a photograph of the user superimposed with asignature of the user; comparing, by the server, the photograph of theuser to the photograph included with the identification information;verifying, by the server, an identity of the user based on theidentification information and the photograph based on comparing thephotograph of the user to the photograph included with theidentification information; verifying, by the server, acontemporaneousness of the photograph of the user with the signature ofthe user based on determining that the signature of the user includesthe code-word; in response to verifying the identity of the user and toverifying the contemporaneousness of the photograph of the user with thesignature of the user, applying, to the document designated fornotarization, the signature and an indication of notarization to createa notarized version of the document; storing, by the server, thenotarized version of the document, the photograph, and theidentification document in a secure data package; providing, to thecomputing device of the user, the notarized version of the document. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein the data includes location data.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the data includes a video.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the data is encrypted.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the data includes a digital postmark.
 6. The method of claim 1further comprising: accessing ID validation information from a database;and determining that the identification information is valid.
 7. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the database is a government issued IDdatabase.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the database is a socialnetworking platform.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication ofnotarization includes an indication of a level of certification.
 10. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising providing the notarized version ofthe document to at least one third-party.
 11. The method of claim 1,wherein the data includes GPS data indicating a location of thecomputing device, and wherein the method further comprises: accessing IDvalidation information from a database; and determining that theidentification information is valid based on the ID validationinformation and the GPS data.
 12. A system comprising: one or moreprocessors; and a data store coupled to the one or more processorshaving instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one ormore processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operationscomprising: sending a code-word to a computing device of a user inresponse to a request from the computing device to electronicallynotarize a document; receiving data including: a document designated fornotarization, identification information including a photograph, and aphotograph of the user superimposed with a signature of the user;comparing the photograph of the user to the photograph included with theidentification information; verifying an identity of the user based onthe identification information and the photograph based on comparing thephotograph of the user to the photograph included with theidentification information; verifying a contemporaneousness of thephotograph of the user with the signature of the user based ondetermining that the signature of the user includes the code-word; inresponse to verifying the identity of the user and to verifying thecontemporaneousness of the photograph of the user with the signature ofthe user, applying, to the document designated for notarization, thesignature and an indication of notarization to create a notarizedversion of the document; storing the notarized version of the document,the photograph, and the identification document in a secure datapackage; providing, to the computing device of the user, the notarizedversion of the document.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein theoperations further comprise: accessing ID validation information from adatabase; and determining that the identification information is valid.14. The system of claim 12, wherein the indication of notarizationincludes an indication of a level of certification.
 15. The system ofclaim 12, wherein the operations further comprise providing thenotarized version of the document to at least one third-party.
 16. Thesystem of claim 12, wherein the data includes GPS data indicating alocation of the computing device, and wherein the operations furthercomprises: accessing ID validation information from a database; anddetermining that the identification information is valid based on the IDvalidation information and the GPS data.
 17. A non-transitory computerreadable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least oneprocessor, cause the at least one processor to perform operationscomprising: sending a code-word to a computing device of a user inresponse to a request from the computing device to electronicallynotarize a document; receiving data including: a document designated fornotarization, identification information including a photograph, and aphotograph of the user superimposed with a signature of the user;comparing the photograph of the user to the photograph included with theidentification information; verifying an identity of the user based onthe identification information and the photograph based on comparing thephotograph of the user to the photograph included with theidentification information; verifying a contemporaneousness of thephotograph of the user with the signature of the user based ondetermining that the signature of the user includes the code-word; inresponse to verifying the identity of the user and to verifying thecontemporaneousness of the photograph of the user with the signature ofthe user, applying, to the document designated for notarization, thesignature and an indication of notarization to create a notarizedversion of the document; storing the notarized version of the document,the photograph, and the identification document in a secure datapackage; providing, to the computing device of the user, the notarizedversion of the document.
 18. The medium of claim 17, wherein theoperations further comprise: accessing ID validation information from adatabase; and determining that the identification information is valid.19. The medium of claim 17, wherein the indication of notarizationincludes an indication of a level of certification.
 20. The medium ofclaim 17, wherein the data includes GPS data indicating a location ofthe computing device, and wherein the operations further comprises:accessing ID validation information from a database; and determiningthat the identification information is valid based on the ID validationinformation and the GPS data.